


The Sun, The Moon (And The Truth)

by MacabreMoose



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Character Study, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 03:48:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 762
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28629054
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MacabreMoose/pseuds/MacabreMoose
Summary: Rules are something that he’s always clung on to.
Kudos: 6





	The Sun, The Moon (And The Truth)

Rules are something that he’s always clung on to.

There’s a certain familiarity in it that acts as a balm to the jagged edges and soothes away the deep-set anxiety that is almost always a constant companion, especially now with the invisible timer that he and Scott had inadvertently triggered ticking down towards what promises to be blood-ridden and horrifying finale in this short chapter of their lives.

But at the same time, he resents it because deep down, he’s never been one to simply lay down and adhere unquestioningly to something that, privately, he has doubts about to begin with. What also doesn’t help is the fact that he also has no say in the boundaries that has been set for, well, _himself_.

It’s an annoyance, one that both he and his father are occasionally content to ignore even though both can almost always feel the harsh reprimand of the unspoken rules pressing down against them and hanging heavily in the air.

So, then. A noose and a crutch.

Fantastic.  
  
The paradox in itself is an intriguing one, two stark opposites of a single constant somehow cohabiting in a same space. Something that simultaneously suffocates and steadies him. Something that he resents and yet the illusion of which he insists on clinging to.

It’s what goes unspoken in the house, and outside of it. Boundaries and lines mapped out in his mind, each which it’s own set of parameters, sometimes changing and shifting according to his judgement. Guidelines that are suggestions and rules that are fluid.

And what nobody bothers to mention is that the precise lines drawn in the proverbial sand are not exempt from change and circumstance. It can end up becoming curved. 

Squiggly, even. 

As the Sheriff’s son, Stiles has the advantage of knowing all the rules by heart. There are rules for behaviour when he leaves the house, and rules to adhere strictly to when he’s alone at home. Rules for safety, and rules for when he’s in trouble. It changes when he gradually gets older, like seasons in an endless cycle and sandpaper that weathers down the restrictions.

With his maturity, Stiles begins to test out the boundaries of the confines. He pokes and prods at the limits, gauging the Sheriff’s reaction and weighing the risks and rewards of disobedience. Often times, _too often_ , he becomes the subject of his father’s disappointment.

It hurts, but it still doesn’t deter him from doing what he thinks is right at that precise moment. He regrets it sometimes, but would do the same action in a heartbeat because most of his choices are born from gut instinct and Stiles has found that his own instincts are very good indeed.

Especially with Scott turning a werewolf… well, certain liberties have to be taken. It’s literally a matter of life and death now. 

There is still some underlying guilt, of course, and no matter what Stiles does, it still doesn’t change the fact that the blame for Scott’s monthly transformations into a creature with fur and fangs lies solely on his shoulders. 

He can’t undo that, can’t erase his actions during that fatal night, but what he can do is protect Scott and his father as much as possible.

Stiles knows that he’s not exactly equipped to take on fighting the supernatural. He’s still human, still relatively weak compared to the rest of the Pack. His own skill sets doesn’t align with physical strength, but what he does have is his _mind._

He knows how to read people, and as much as the realisation grates against his nerves, Stiles also knows how to manipulate. He would like to think that it is a parting gift from the Nogitsune, but then again, that’s not true.

That part of him has always been there. The Nogitsune possession had merely honed that pre-existing talent of his, shaping and sharpening that clumsy blade into something much more lethal. Potent. 

This was how Stiles operated, how he had always survived. Being a human in a Pack of wolves was risky, and yes, even Stiles had to admit that he was probably luckier than most, but if there was one thing that he was completely certain of, it was than he had not survived this long through sheer dumb luck.

He, of all people, also knows that being human doesn’t necessarily make him useless. 

Perhaps the most dangerous thing about himself, is that Stiles knows how to play the game. He knows the rules, and he knows precisely how to bend them.

He knows how to _win_.


End file.
